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I just rebuilt my 400 using a com cams k kit. I used the original distibutor and a melling oil pump. The engine quit during break in. I found that the rotor was not turning with the engine. The gear on the distributor was ruined. I changed to another used stock distributor and the same thing happened after running for about 13 minutes. It had good oil pressure. I double checked the cam numbers and it is the correct one. Comp Cams told me to check the wear and maybe shim it up or down depending. The gear is worn evenly from top to bottom. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening and how to correct it?
Last edited by Torque1st; Aug 17, 2005 at 09:17 PM.
have you checked the roll pin that holds the dizzy gear on? it might even look ok but it could be broken inside and just be spinning on the shaft. another possibility is that the oil pump is jammed. with the dizzy out, use a 5/16" socket on an extension to try to turn the oil pump driveshaft counterclockwise. it should start to turn very easily and build resistance(oil pressure) if it turns at all? if it doesn't turn counterclockwise, try clockwise a little. if it moves a little and stops don't force it. when the oil pump stops suddenly the hex shaft winds up like a pretzel until the roll pin breaks. let us know what's up.
huh...that same thing happened to my Dad on his Cleveland. We finally found out that the metal on the Comp camshaft was too hard for the dizzy gear and was chewing it up. The roll pin had also been sheared and thus rendered useless. He switched to an MSD dizzy for this reason and even though it was pricey and really too much for the revs that engine would ever see, he never had another problem with that.
The oil pump is turning...it has some resistance, but I can still turn it with a 1/4" flexible tool. The resistance is not constant. It turns okay then stiffens then eases up then stiffens. But it does still turn. The role pin is tight in both distributors and what is left of the gear is solid on the shaft.
Last edited by broncndrt; Aug 18, 2005 at 10:05 AM.
the resistance should be pretty constant. i guess i glossed over in the first post that the gear is actually pretty worn, or chewed up? id say get a mirror and a light, some brake clean and get a good look at the gear on the cam. what cam is in there? anything exotic, a roller? there is a shimming thing going on but i discounted it because you said two different distributors did the same thing, here's what that's all about...
does the oil pump get real tough to turn or just what you think the oil pressure is resisting? i use a speed handle to turn the shaft when i'm pre-oiling or whatever. it gives a real smooth constant feel of what's going on down there.
Last edited by grclark351; Aug 18, 2005 at 04:58 PM.
This is some info from my files:
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CAST IRON DISTRIBUTOR GEARS ARE USED WITH CAST IRON CAMS AND ARE EITHER:
ORANGE 1.249 OD/ 0.467 ID FOR 289/302 W/ POINTS OR DURASPARK, M12390A
BLUE 1.249/0.531 FOR 302 W/ EFI OR 351W, M12390D
GREEN 1.421/0.531 FOR 351C/M,400,429,460, M12390G
STEEL DISTRIBUTOR GEARS ARE USED WITH STEEL CAMS ONLY AND ARE EITHER:
PLAIN 1.249/0.467 FOR 302 W/ STEEL BILLET OR PRODUC ROLLER CAM, M12390B
YELLOW 1.249/0.467 FOR 302/351W W/ HYD ROLLER CAM AND EFI, M12390F
BRONZE DIST GEARS CAN BE USED FOR CAST OR STEEL CAMS AND ARE EITHER:
BRONZE 1.249/0.467 FOR 289/302 W/ POINT OR DURASPARK, M12390C
BRONZE W/BLUE STRIPE 1.249/0.531 302 W/ EFI OR 351W, M12390E
BRONZE W/GREEN STRIPE 1.421/0.531 FOR 351C/M,400,429,460, M12390H
The cam is a comp cam extreme energy. The oil pump is turning ok as it builds pressure when its turned. I just put in a rebuilt distributor with a new gear and it seems to be ok so far. Before it ground the teeth off of the the two used dizzy's. There wasn't much left for teeth. When the engine was turned over the rotor would not turn. This occured in about 15 minutes or less on each one. I am wondering if the old two were worn to their cams so that caused the quick wear.
Well...with the autozone remanufactured distibutor the motor runs but pops when rev'd. I have checked the timing again and again. I am guessing that I now have a defective distibutor...but I don't know for sure. Any other ideas?